Never-ending summer

The heat of summer brings with it idyllic days by the pool, bushels of mangoes and, when it comes to clothes, a thirst for ethereal, light layers. We travelled from Ahmedabad to Kolkata, Goa to Delhi, in search of the 50 men and women who are changing how we dress when the sun beats down. These are the tribes of Indian summer

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PRANEETA DIWANJI, HR HEAD, CURATOR OF FASHION AND FOUNDER, THE TRUNK SHOWDefining summer: “Summer for me is a time to slow down, to be with the kids and to take a break!” Wardrobe basics: French chiffon saris from my grandmother, white linen trousers and mul kurtas. Also, anything from Bodice, Lovebirds and Runaway Bicycle is perfect for the summer.” Vogue loves: Her under-the-radar finds —NM

SIMAR DUGAL, DESIGNERWho: The former model best represents her label, which focuses on light colours, fluid shapes, and natural, breathable fabrics.What: “To revive and translate old traditional weaves with a new, coherent vocabulary. Read chikan on organdie, hand-block kalamkari, ikats, multi-colour hand block printing in vegetable dyes.” This she pairs with silver jewellery collected from the interiors of the country, ensuring her a permanent spot on best-dressed lists.Vogue loves: Her voluminous kurtas and wide-legged pants —PK

MAITHILI AHLUWALIA, OWNER, BUNGALOW 8Who: Ahluwalia’s eye for whimsy has landed her on several best-dressed lists and her in-house label, The Bungalow, echoes her fluid approach to style.What: “A weightlessness in terms of colours, fabrics and silhouettes is the basic tenet of this season. Painterly, mending and patchwork are highlights of this look,” she says. “For the summer, we have worked largely with unbleached muslins. Our silhouettes are floppy and relaxed with a slightly ‘workwear’ androgynous quality.”Vogue loves: Her urban and androgynous styling of classic separates n —PK

ANOMALYWho: Medha Khosla’s less-is-more mantra stems from 14 years in New York at Donna Karan and in high-street fashion. But her label’s attention to detail and craft are Indian in sensibility.What: “There weren’t too many online brands creating functional and contemporary clothing,” says Khosla. What sets Anomaly apart is the use of natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silks and other handloom textiles—“Indian in origin, but international in interpretation.”Vogue loves: Pyjama-style separates and scarves from the WomenWeave collaboration —KD

AARTI PATKAR, OWNER, THE VINTAGE GARDENDefining summer: “It’s the time for mangoes, hill-station visits and swimming pools.” Wardrobe basics: “Dungarees, long dresses and pyjamas. My go-to labels are Payal Singhal and Kotwara.” Vogue loves: Her curated aesthetic that has translated into Mumbai’s best pop-ups —NM

KULDEEP KAUR, OWNER, SERENDIPITYWho: Over 20 years of designing textile and furniture coupled with a passion for travel lead to the inception of Kuldeep Kaur’s concept store. What: Along with vintage curios and home decor, Serendipity carries an exquisite range of block-printed fabrics in its arsenal. “I like to keep it minimal. I am greatly influenced by Art Deco and retro style. I think it’s evergreen yet so edgy in a simple way,” says Kaur Vogue loves: Her indi cool block prints —NM

KHARAKAPASWho: Shilpi Yadav’s label, which literally means ‘pure cotton’, stays true to its name. “We want to be known for what we can do with cotton, how we can lift it above the ordinary and make it high-end.”What: Life as an Army kid exposed Yadav to different cultures, and their textiles can be seen in Kharakapas’s folio—from Hyderabadi ikat and handwoven cotton from Bhagalpur to mulmul from Kolkata and checks and gingham from Chennai. “Kharakapas is relaxed, easy fashion. We work with handloom fabrics and use natural dyes as much as possible.”Vogue loves: Their tucked and draped kurta dresses —KD

TILLA Who: National Institute of Design graduate and Tilla founder Aratrik Dev Varman’s work takes its cues from nature, in particular his lush hilltop home in Agartala.What: “The internet revolution was brought about by ‘geeks’ who went to work in shorts because they were in California—an intelligent response to the weather. I think we are all part of a global movement that’s cutting excess,” says Dev Varman, whose collections are characterised by handspun fabrics, relaxed silhouettes and a monochrome palette.” Vogue loves: His minimal aesthetic —NM

SIMRAN LAL, CEO, GOOD EARTHDefining summer: “I love summers in India. A palette of shades of white interspersed with old rose, leaf green, a monsoony grey-blue and soft indigos.”Wardrobe basics: “Breathable fabrics like handloom khadi muslins, Mangalgiri and Chanderi. Our Sakura collection has delicate kalamkari prints in natural indigo dye that comes all the way from the port town of Machalipatnam.”Vogue loves: Her farshi trousers and kurta pairing, all in shades of white —PK

ANOMALYWho: Medha Khosla’s less-is-more mantra stems from 14 years in New York at Donna Karan and in high-street fashion. But her label’s attention to detail and craft are Indian in sensibility.What: “There weren’t too many online brands creating functional and contemporary clothing,” says Khosla. What sets Anomaly apart is the use of natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silks and other handloom textiles—“Indian in origin, but international in interpretation.”Vogue loves: Pyjama-style separates and scarves from the WomenWeave collaboration —KD

SIMAR DUGAL, DESIGNERWho: The former model best represents her label, which focuses on light colours, fluid shapes, and natural, breathable fabrics.What: “To revive and translate old traditional weaves with a new, coherent vocabulary. Read chikan on organdie, hand-block kalamkari, ikats, multi-colour hand block printing in vegetable dyes.” This she pairs with silver jewellery collected from the interiors of the country, ensuring her a permanent spot on best-dressed lists.Vogue loves: Her voluminous kurtas and wide-legged pants —PK

SIMAR DUGAL, DESIGNERWho: The former model best represents her label, which focuses on light colours, fluid shapes, and natural, breathable fabrics.What: “To revive and translate old traditional weaves with a new, coherent vocabulary. Read chikan on organdie, hand-block kalamkari, ikats, multi-colour hand block printing in vegetable dyes.” This she pairs with silver jewellery collected from the interiors of the country, ensuring her a permanent spot on best-dressed lists.Vogue loves: Her voluminous kurtas and wide-legged pants —PK

Photographed by MANASI SAWANT and ADIL HASAN

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled by the sun.The nights are clear, but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation.”—The God Of Small Things

While Arundhati Roy’s picture of summer is unnerving, foreboding even, for most people in this country of one billion the definition of an Indian summer is almost universal and, like Roy’s prose, deeply visceral. The hot summer months also bring with them a signature aesthetic that’ sweeping Indian fashion. Simple. Pure. All natural. One that goes back to the very core of Indian fashion—made by hand, focused on craft. The building blocks of this wardrobe have been around for years, so to say this movement is a return to summer basics would be misleading; the crisp cottons, khadis and Chanderis have always been at the forefront of summer fashion. But the new Indian summer movement is repurposing and subverting traditional elements by adding a contemporary spin.

“This is the reality of our climatic conditions. We have been conditioned into following a Western fashion calendar that is totally inappropriate in most parts of India,” says David Abraham of Abraham & Thakore. “Wearing lightweight summer clothing in natural fibres is merely a continuation of the way we have always dressed in the Indian subcontinent, but now with a fashion twist.”

For Goan Savio Jon, considered one of the pioneers of this look, it started as a reflection of his lifestyle. “I’ve never known any other weather conditions,” he says, laughing, as he talks about enviable days filled with buying fish, having friends over and listening to music.

“But no matter how laid-back, it’s important to have elegance. I keep asking, how do we reinterpret this shirt, this dress? How do we infuse freshness and a quirk? And how do we create wardrobe basics that are easy to travel with?”

“It’s really my time to break out of structured fashion and follow my love for boho chic,” says Mini Mathur, who has long been a proponent of this look in her easy layers and beautiful saris. “I immediately gravitate towards organic fabrics that remind me of my childhood and the beautiful colours and block prints we are so known for.”So we wait… for the season to change and those sultry days of summer that bring the succulent ripeness of mangoes and the heady fragrance of jasmine, to dress simply and beautifully, in fabrics that breathe and silhouettes that flow, those languid layers of gossamer mul, crisp cotton and wrinkly linen.

For our Indian summer special, we scoured the country for the men and women who are creating, retailing and putting their own stamp on this Indi-cool aesthetic. These are the 50 names who are acing summer style. —Priyanka Khanna